For Whom the Bell Tolls - Phantom Ringing and Ghostly Pealing

Black Tom of Scothill

Location: Dewsbury (Yorkshire) - Dewsbury Parish ChurchType: Legend - Old NickDate / Time: 24 December (reoccurring)Further Comments: Black Tom is the name of the bell in the church, and is toiled the number of the year (ie, in 2007 it was tolled 2007 times) to ensure Old Nick doesn't visit the village during the following twelve months. The last peal has to occur on the stroke of midnight to ensure success.

Twenty Five Clangs

Location: Didlington (Norfolk) - ChurchType: Post-Mortem ManifestationDate / Time: 14 November 1956Further Comments: A local policeman reported the bells of the locked church rang 25 times, marking the anniversary of the death of a landowner. The officer entered the church to investigate, finding the bell rope swinging, but no one there.

Church Bells

Location: Dunwich (Suffolk) - CoastlineType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: Once a busy port town, sea erosion has reduced this location to only a few dozen houses. The church that once stood on the cliffs has been washed out to sea, and it is said the bells still ring on still moonless nights. Divers exploring the ruins of the old town that once stood on the cliffs have often reported a strange feeling that they are not alone under the sea.

Missing Steeple

Location: East Bergholt (Suffolk) - ChurchType: Legend - Old NickDate / Time: Bell house still standsFurther Comments: Night after night, during the construction of the church, the Devil appeared and pulled down the steeple. The builders finally gave up building the tower, and the bells now stand in a little bell house.

Gabriel

Location: EC4 (Greater London) - St Andrew by the Wardrobe, Queen Victoria StreetType: LegendDate / Time: Still presentFurther Comments: Gabriel, one of the bells in the church and once at home in Avenbury (Herefordshire), is reported to ring when death strikes the Rector of its old parish.

Clergyman

Location: EC4 (Greater London) - St Paul's CathedralType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: Twentieth centuryFurther Comments: Haunting the All Soul's chapel area, the holy man is wears archaic clothing, thought to be hundreds of years old. His whistling is known to be so loud it upsets people who have come to the church to find peace. St Paul's is also home to the bell Great Tom, which is said to strike incorrectly prior to the death of a royal.

Tolling

Location: Ellesmere (Shropshire) - Colemere (aka Cole Mere, aka Crose Mere, aka Crosmere) lakeType: LegendDate / Time: 21 May (reoccurring)Further Comments: Sunken bells on a long forgotten chapel can still be heard ringing from the mere. One version of the story says they ring to mock Oliver Cromwell, who pulled down the church, while another version say they ring on St Helen's day, the patron saint of the chapel.

The Rector's Wife Bell

Location: Elm (Cambridgeshire) - Elm Vicarage near Wisbech, now known as The Old ShiresType: Crisis ManifestationDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: The wife of the rector was the only person in the village to hear the bell, but it always foretold a death within a couple of days of the tolls.

Sound of Silver

Location: Evesham (Hereford & Worcester) - RiverType: LegendDate / Time: 24 December (reoccurring)Further Comments: Hidden in the river when the local abbey was closed for business in 1539, the silver bells still sing their song around Christmas.

Speeding Cyclist

Location: Eyam (Derbyshire) - Road between Eyam and Stoney Middleton, and dales in the areaType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: Mid twentieth centuryFurther Comments: A squeaky bicycle with a ringing bell has been heard approaching various witnesses at speed - they move out of the way and turn to see where the sound is coming from, but nothing can be seen. A few people have reported spotting the phantom cyclist, who quickly vanishes from view.

Dancing Girl

Location: Farnham (Surrey) - Farnham CastleType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: Though long since removed, the bell that was once housed in the castle tower can still be heard to chime. A shadowy figure haunts the guard room, while the long gallery is home to a phantom monk. Lastly, a little dancing girl haunts a staircase, where she collapsed and died. Outside the castle, on the hill where it stands, disembodied footsteps are heard.

Bells

Location: Felixstowe (Suffolk) - Coast off Old FelixstoweType: LegendDate / Time: Circa nineteenth centuryFurther Comments: It was believed that the bells from sunken churches could be heard ringing off the coast here.

Lost Village

Location: Ferryside (Dyfed) - EstuaryType: LegendDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: An ancient village is submerged under these waters, and sometimes the toiling of the old church bell can be heard from within the estuary.

Sunken Rings

Location: Forrabury (Cornwall) - Off coastType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: These bells can sometimes still be heard to peal - they were lost as the ship due to deliver them sunk just off the coast.

Former Waitress

Location: Garve (Highland) - Hotel, exact details unknownType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: This former worker killed herself after being victimised by her boss. For many years after the event, bells would ring without reason throughout the building.

Kitchen Clanger

Location: Great Bealings (Suffolk) - Bealings HouseType: PoltergeistDate / Time: 2 February - 27 March 1834Further Comments: Another famous case, the bells in the dining room and kitchen rung erratically for a two month period, while carefully watched by the occupiers looking for a rational explanation. None could be found.

Radley

Location: Halam (Nottinghamshire) - Valley southeast of villageType: Environmental ManifestationDate / Time: 24 December (reoccurring)Further Comments: The buried village of Radley is hidden somewhere in this area, and long vanished church bells can be heard on Christmas Eve.

Whistles and Bells

Location: Halifax (Yorkshire) - Former police building, Prescott StreetType: PoltergeistDate / Time: 1970sFurther Comments: When in use, a number of police officers reported strange occurrences in the building, including whistling, doors opening and closing themselves, cold spots, and ringing bells that were connected to empty cells.

Submerged Bells

Location: Hayling Island (Hampshire) - Off the south coastType: LegendDate / Time: UnknownFurther Comments: The sound of sunken bells is said still to be heard coming from the sea.

Ringing Bells

Location: Helmsley (Yorkshire) - Rievaulx AbbeyType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: Late at nightFurther Comments: Now little more than ruins, people still say they can hear the ringing of the bells, once pealed by monks.

Matilda

Location: Hockley (Essex) - The Old School House, currently a private residence.Type: PoltergeistDate / Time: 1957 onwards?Further Comments: The opening of doors and ringing of bells resulted in the owners of this house calling the 'ghost' Matilda, suspecting the spirit to be that of a child.

Marching Troops

Location: Horley (Surrey) - Thunderfield Castle and Haroldslea Drive areaType: Haunting ManifestationDate / Time: 11 November (reoccurring)Further Comments: A phantom bell begins to toll as the sun sets here, slowly growing louder until midnight comes and a small army of men pass through the area. The castle is said to have been a resting place for King Harold's men as they marched to Hastings.

Beyond Last Orders

Location: Huncoat (Lancashire) - Black Bull public houseType: PoltergeistDate / Time: Mid twentieth centuryFurther Comments: Though nothing has been seen here, the bar bells have been heard ringing when the building is empty, and pet dogs refuse to go down into the basement.

Thirsty Bells

Location: Ibberton (Dorset) - Church and village pondType: LegendDate / Time: MiddayFurther Comments: At midday, the church bells were said to grow thirsty and cross the lane to drink from the village pond.

Bell Ringing

Location: Kenfig (Mid Glamorgan) - Kenfig PoolType: LegendDate / Time: Pool still presentFurther Comments: Legend says that the pool covers a lost town from which one can still hear the church bells ringing on stormy nights. The truth is likely to be based on the nearby town of Kenfig being lost to shifting sands during the sixteenth century. Other local legends say that the pool is bottomless and that a whirlpool pulls unsuspecting swimmers to their deaths.